Gembay guide
Match-3 special gems and combos: what each one does
In a match-3 game, four in a line makes a gem that clears a row or column, an L or T shape makes one that clears the squares round it, and five in a line makes one that clears every piece of a kind. Swap two specials into each other and they combine into a bigger blast.
How to make each special gem
A plain match of three just clears. Match more, or match in a bent shape, and one of the pieces stays behind as a special. In Gembay there are three, and the shape of the match decides which you get:
| Match | Special | When it goes off | Points for making it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four in a line | Wave gem | Clears its whole row (made across) or column (made down) | 50 |
| An L or a T | Splash gem | Clears the 3 × 3 block round it | 80 |
| Five in a line | Pearl | Clears every piece of one kind | 120 |
A few details that matter when you are hunting for them:
- Five beats an L. If a match has a straight run of five, you get a pearl, even if it also bends into an L.
- An L or T beats four. A run of four with a second line crossing it makes a splash gem, not a wave gem.
- The special appears where you swapped. If the square your piece moved into is part of the match, the special lands there; otherwise it lands on the other square of the swap. Specials made by a cascade appear where the two lines of an L or T cross, or on one of the squares of the line.
- The direction of a wave is the direction of its match. Four across makes a wave that sweeps across its row; four down makes one that sweeps up and down its column. Each wave gem carries a white wave with arrows pointing the way it will sweep.
How to set a special off
Wave and splash gems keep the kind of the pieces that made them, so a wave gem made from starfish is still a starfish. There are three ways to fire one:
- Match it. Line it up with two more of its kind in an ordinary match and it goes off as it clears.
- Catch it in a blast. Any special that is hit by another special's blast goes off too, so one gem can set off a chain across the board.
- Swap it with another special. Two specials side by side can always be swapped, with no match needed, and they combine (see below).
The pearl is different: it has no kind of its own. Swap it with any neighbouring piece, again with no match needed, and it clears every piece of that piece's kind. If a pearl is caught in a blast instead, it clears the kind there is most of on the board.
Every combo: what two specials do together
Swapping two specials into each other is almost always worth more than firing them one at a time. These are all of Gembay's combinations:
| Swap together | What happens | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Wave + wave | Clears a whole row and a whole column through the square the moved gem lands on | A cross of sand or a crate in a row and column |
| Wave + splash | Clears three whole rows and three whole columns | Big boards, sand spread everywhere |
| Splash + splash | Clears a 5 × 5 block | One thick patch of sand, ice or crates |
| Pearl + plain piece | Clears every piece of that kind | Collect goals |
| Pearl + wave | Turns every piece of the wave's kind into a wave gem (each across or down at random), then sets them all off | Points; sand scattered over the board |
| Pearl + splash | Turns every piece of the splash's kind into a splash gem, then sets them all off | Breaking many crates and ice at once |
| Pearl + pearl | Hits every square on the board | The last moves of a hard level |
What blasts do to blockers
Specials are the quickest way through the blockers in Gembay's later chapters, but each blocker reacts in its own way when a blast reaches its square:
- Sand loses one layer for every blast or clear on its square, even when the square is empty at the time. Deep sand needs two.
- Crates take one knock for every blast that reaches them. A strong crate needs two, which it can get in a single move where two blasts overlap, such as the crossing squares of a wave + splash.
- Ice cracks and the frozen piece is freed, not cleared. It can then move and match like any other.
- Ropes come off and the tied piece stays where it is, free to be swapped.
- Turtles are never hit. Clear the squares below them and they fall.
Worked example
A level asks you to clear sand in a band across the middle of the board, three rows deep. A single wave gem made across one of those rows clears that row only. Swap the same wave gem into a splash gem on the middle row of the band instead, and the blast clears all three rows at once, plus three columns, so one move can take off a layer of sand from every square of the band.
Strategy: getting the most from specials
- Look for five first, then L and T, then four. The rarer the shape, the stronger the gem, so check for the big ones before you take a plain three.
- Build next to each other. Two specials side by side are a combo waiting to happen. When you make a second one, try to make it beside the first.
- Choose the direction of a wave. Because the wave follows its match, make it across when you need a row cleared (a row of crates) and down when you need a column (the squares under a turtle).
- Match the pearl to the goal. On a collect level, swap the pearl with the kind you need. On a sand or crate level, pairing it with a wave or splash does far more.
- Fire specials low. A blast near the bottom moves more pieces, and the cascades that follow score more: in Gembay each cleared piece is worth 10 points times the cascade step it cleared on.
- Don't hoard at the end. When the goal is met the level ends at once and each spare move is worth 60 points, so specials still on the board when you win are simply left there. Use them while they help.
Questions
How do you make special gems in match-3?
Match more than three. In Gembay, four in a line makes a wave gem, an L or T shape makes a splash gem, and five in a line makes a pearl. The shape of the match decides which special you get.
What does a wave gem do?
It clears a whole line. A wave gem made from four across clears its row when it goes off; one made from four down clears its column.
What happens when you swap two special gems together?
They combine. In Gembay two waves clear a row and a column, a wave and a splash clear three rows and three columns, and two splashes clear a 5 × 5 block. A pearl with a wave or splash turns every piece of that kind into one, and two pearls hit the whole board.
Do you need a match to use a special gem?
Not always. A wave or splash gem goes off when it is matched with two of its kind, but two specials side by side can be swapped with no match, and a pearl can be swapped with any piece next to it.
What is the best combo in match-3?
Two pearls swapped together hit every square on the board, but they are rare. A pearl with a wave or splash is the strongest combo you will make often, and a wave with a splash is the easiest big one to build.